Beasts, Aviary and Ritual of Ancient China

Beasts, Aviary and Ritual of Ancient China explores the symbolic and spiritual world of ancient Chinese jade through a remarkable selection of 59 carvings spanning over six thousand years, from the Neolithic period to the Yuan dynasty. Featuring ritual objects, mythical creatures, birds, animals, and ceremonial forms, the exhibition examines how jade served as a bridge between the human, natural, and cosmic realms throughout Chinese history. Long revered as the most esteemed material in Chinese culture, jade was believed to embody purity, virtue, protection, and spiritual power. The works on view reveal how ancient peoples transformed stone into vessels of belief, creating objects that were used in ceremonies, burials, acts of devotion, and displays of status. From enigmatic ritual forms of the Liangzhu and Hongshan cultures to elegant pendants, masks, dragons, phoenixes, and guardian beasts of later dynasties, these carvings reflect evolving understandings of nature, ancestry, authority, and the sacred. Many of the objects in this exhibition have not been publicly displayed for nearly fifty years. It is a rare opportunity to encounter exceptional examples of Chinese jade artistry and to explore the enduring relationship between humans, animals, spirits, and ritual practice across millennia of Chinese civilization.